While Santana Moss was enduring his own personal battle last week with a left knee injury that would require surgery and severely hamper his rookie season, Korey Stringer was suffering a much worse fate.

That wasn’t at all lost on Moss.

And so, when it was suggested to him yesterday what a “shame” it’ll be not to see he and his good friend Michael Vick perform on the same field together tomorrow night when Vick’s Falcons play the Jets at Giants Stadium, Moss would hear nothing of it.

“It’s not a shame,” he said. “I don’t look at it like that. It’s a shame when someone goes out there and drops on the practice field and is not be able to practice again. That’s a shame.

“I was really feeling bad for [Stringer’s] family. When I saw Randy Moss on film saying he wonders what’s going to come of [Stringer’s] son . . . that’s what struck me. You look at situations like that and say, ‘Damn.’ I look back on that and say, ‘No matter what, I’m blessed to have this injury not to be as serious as it could have been.

“I look at this right here as probably in my best interest. It’s better to have it happen early than later. I’m sorry this came upon me, but you never know when it’s your time.”

Moss said he felt prepared to handle his first adverse ordeal as a pro.

“I feel I’ve been through so many struggles in my life this seems routine to be prepared,” he said. “I don’t look at it as a downfall. I look at it as something to get me stronger and hungrier, so when that day comes I can let it all out. I’m just waiting for my day.”

Moss’ day – his NFL debut – is not expected to come much sooner than late October or early November.

But that’s OK. He believes he’ll be an immediate impact player once he’s healthy enough to take the field, and so do the Jets.

“It’ll be hard on him as far as being a receiver, but not as much as a punt returner,” Herman Edwards said yesterday, referring to Moss’ lost time. “Santana can wake up at 4 in the morning and catch punts.”

Edwards, too, said he doesn’t believe Moss will be any worse off physically than he was before the injury.

“Generally when guys have something like this happen to them they come back even faster than they were before,” Edwards said. “He’s a young guy, this was not reconstruction and it was cartilage. He’ll come back faster than ever.”

Moss has a lot of people rooting for him, including Vick, who e-mailed him to wish him a quick recovery when he heard of the injury.

“After his first game he beeped me back and said he heard about what happened and he wished me luck, said, ‘Just get well,’ ” Moss said. “He knows what type of guy I am. He knows how hard I work and that killer instinct in me.”

Moss, who’s become close to Vick at post-college events, was touched by Vick’s concern.

“To have a guy like this who I played against – he was the other guy who I was trying to beat – become so close shows, I guess you could say, a little snitch of love that we have amongst each other.”

Moss, who had his surgery in Miami, said he’ll remain here for his rehab.

“Since the day it happened, I wasn’t down on myself,” Moss said. “It happened and it comes with the territory. I’m very positive about it. I’m not taking this as a downfall. I know definitely this isn’t going to break me.”